Sermon; All Saints 2026

Today is the Feast of All Saints, the day set aside to commemorate those people of days past who publicly, wonderfully, and sometimes heroically proclaimed their faith in Christ and the good news of the Resurrection. This day began early in Church history and recognized that God's people are united together in a holy communion with God and each other. As time went on, people felt the need to also remember the uncountable faithful who, although unknown to most everyone but God, also died in the hope of the Resurrection. This additional day became known as the Feast of All Faithful Departed and is celebrated on November 2.

Technically we should be having two separate services – one for All Saints and one for All Faithful Departed. But, practically speaking, we conflate the two, celebrating and remembering both the Saints of the Church and all the faithful departed.

This year, I think, All Saints has a particularly special place in our lives. As you heard, we lost a number of important and beloved people in this parish. Mary Fowlkes, Bill Omohundro, the Eastwoods, Dale Anderson, and Pam & Johnnie have all gone to be reunited with God. That's hard. Losing one is hard. Losing seven can seem unbearable. So we mourn. We cry. We gaze at empty pews.

It's hard, there's no doubt about it. It's hard to lose people we love. It's hard to come into spaces and places that loved ones have filled only to find emptiness. It's hard to be joyful when you are constantly reminded of how things used to be but will be no more.

But in a strange kind of way we can take comfort in the knowledge that we are not the first, nor will we be the last or only, ones to go through this. I can go back through our parish register and find the names of many people who were buried from this church. We can find the names of many faithful departed who served this parish and God in their days and who are now part of that great cloud of witnesses.

And while we have grief and sorrow now, we do not sorrow as one without hope. We sorrow for those who are with us no more, but our ultimate hope lies in the power of the Resurrection. Our faith tells us life is changed, not ended. For those who have gone before, sorrow and pain will be no more, the Lamb will be their shepherd, and he will lead them to the waters of life. And for us, we must remember that God will wipe away every tear.

Yes, it's hard to carry on, but our faith gives us the strength to do just that. And I've had people tell me that they don't know if they can be in this space because it's too hard. I understand that. But this, of all places, is the place to be.

This place is surrounded with the memory and presence of those who have gone before. When we enter this place we are enveloped with the love of God and are joined together in the communion of saints. Nine of the twelve windows were given in memory of loved ones. Generations of people have sat, worshiped, and worked here. This is a place where the saints of God and the saints of this church lived, moved, and had their being. This is a place where the saints of ages past are present with us now.

And it's not just saints of ages past that are present with us. The saints of today are also with us. The saints of today offer support, strength, and comfort. The saints here today will not abandon us in times of need or grief.

In today's gospel Jesus says, “Blessed are you who mourn, for you will be comforted.” Mourners will be comforted in this place by the presence of the saints who have gone before. Mourners will be comforted by the presence of the saints who remain. This place is infused with the presence of saints before and saints now, and it will be infused with the presence of saints to come.

When Joelene and I came out for our visit, Pam was showing us around. One of the things that was very clear to me was that she loved this place and she was invested in this place. I have been in a lot of churches. In most of them you can feel the presence of God. In some of them you can feel not only God but generations of faithful saints. This is one of those places.

In this place we have been knit together in the communion of the Saints. Here we touch that thin place where a great multitude stands before the throne and says, “Amen! Blessing and honor and glory and wisdom and might be to our God for ever!” Here we partake of holy food. Here we are led to springs of the water of life that nourish us, but also flow out from us to nourish others.

On the Feast of All Saints and All Faithful Departed we remember and commemorate those who have gone before, and this is a very meet and right thing so to do. But on these two days, let us also remember that we are not alone. Let us remember that we are surrounded by saints past and saints today. May the knowledge of our union with all those saints not only give us strength and comfort to face the days ahead, but may it remind us that this is a good place to be and the place where we belong.

Amen.